quick newbie question

[privatepile]

I have a quick question about motherboard installation. Do you have to use paper washers on the underside of the board between the copper standoffs and on the top between the mobo and the screw???? Please help as a cant find this info anywhere

[HAL9000]

No.

[LawyerRon]

nope

[mike breck]

The only reason you should have to use a washer is if a screw head appears to be extending beyond the solder round a hole on the mobo.

If you can't adjust the mobo in the case to correct the alignment, then it would do no harm to add a washer just to make sure it doesn't cause a short on the mobo.

Also make sure there are no redundant stand-offs under the mobo which do not correspond to a hole in the mobo. That would most certainly cause shorting problems.

[LawyerRon]

Some folks put black electrical tape over the standoffs. I've never used anything over them.

[Computer Hobbyist]

I have seen (and years ago used) paper washers, but these days they shouldn't be used. If you have set up your motherboard correctly in the case, the mounting holes should align properly with the standoffs. There are normally a couple of holes in every motherboard that shouldn't be used for mounting. They are used in the manufacturing process. If you try to use one of those holes as a mounting point, you are inviting a short, even if you use a paper washer. (Don't laugh boys--I have a drill bit that lets me create standoff points. I suspect others have the same bit.)

CH

[Nuclear Krusader]

Why not just use the new plastic stand-offs?

[Computer Hobbyist]

Originally posted by Nuclear Krusader
Why not just use the new plastic stand-offs?

The professionals should give us their thoughts but off hand I would say that most of the people around here often swap motherboards. Plastic standoffs are generally use once and throw away. They are also much more difficult to use than screws. The regular intended mount points are designed to accept screws so why not use them. Allowing anything to clamp down on the face of a motherboard at an unintended point risks crushing circuits on the board--even if it doesn't cause a short.

CH

[glc]

Plastic standoffs were used with the old AT boards - my feeling is with ATX use the metal standoffs and screws provided with the case.

[Blakhart]

You need to ground the mobo at the standoff holes that are metal lined. This promotes better operation and less rf flying around inside and outside the box. I use the plastic standoffs in places where there are only insulated holes, no metal. This supports the board when reseating parts/cables better then no standoffs at all.

[Computer Hobbyist]

Originally posted by glc
Plastic standoffs were used with the old AT boards - my feeling is with ATX use the metal standoffs and screws provided with the case.

Actually the last ATX case I bought came with a bag of stuff including some new style plastic standoffs. I put them in my parts box because I believe glc is right about using metal standoffs and screws. The bag also had more than enough metal standoffs to let me use metal standoffs and screws exclusively.

CH